Harvard Post-Graduate Program -- What You Need to Know
PUBLISHED TUE, JAN 28 2020
Harvard University is a home for all. To enhance your academic pursuit or seek advancement, a Master’s degree from Harvard University will be an excellent choice. Students from different races and tribes across the world have equal chances at Harvard Graduate School. Amazingly, the admission process is the same for both domestic and international students irrespective of the country they come from. As soon as the application process begins in September, all documents must be submitted on or before January.
You must first understand that when applying to a Master’s Degree program at Harvard, you do not necessarily apply directly to the school. Graduate schools are a branch of the university specially designed for postgraduate studies. For example, instead of applying to Harvard University, you may apply to Harvard Business School, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Law School, or Harvard Kennedy School.
Why this is so is because Harvard University does not centrally control the postgraduate schools. Instead, it has decentralized power such that each graduate school is solely responsible for running its affairs and setting its admission requirements.
To apply for a Master’s Degree program at Harvard, a non-refundable application fee is firstly paid before anything else. And this application fee can only be made via a credit card. Thereafter, a prospective applicant is instructed to upload some required documents
Five letters of recommendation must also be submitted before the deadline. This helps to increase your chance of being admitted. Once the application deadline is due, there is usually no extension in date. Although all successful applicants will receive a notification via email, to stay informed of your admission status, you can always log in to the application portal.
For students of Hong Kong and other international students, they will receive details of their required visa document as soon as their application is successful. For students of Hong Kong, a transcript must be uploaded (this is mainly for undergraduates in Hong Kong who have not yet graduated).
But in a situation where the school does not issue a transcript, an original document that shows all your academic performance in all the courses you enrolled for must be submitted. Harvard University recognizes a degree certificate or any equivalent from any recognized institution.
More so, international applicants may have to write some standardized tests such as GMAT, GRE, and LSAT. These tests vary according to the course of study of one’s choice. But to increase one’s chance of being accepted into a postgraduate program at Harvard University, scoring high will give any applicant an edge. TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, and SAT serve as proof of English proficiency. Additionally, a GPA above 3.5 on a scale of 4.0 will give one a higher chance.
An applicant from Hong Kong needs a personal statement history – a well-articulated genuine application essay, an attention-catching resume, a minimum of 7.5 in the IELTS test, a GRE average score of 155 – 170 for all subjects. The letters of recommendation must also be from respected personalities in academia or another field of profession. Some departments may require at least 2 years of professional experience. During the application process, a post-interview reflection is usually required within a day of the interview.
